Protecting Ohio Waterways
At Great Parks, we strive to protect aquatic ecosystems and preserve the natural beauty of our waterways. An important part of this effort includes cleaning up litter from river and stream banks. Discarded trash is…
A New Place to Play
Regional Trail to Connect Two Great Parks Finding opportunities to spend time together outside can often be hard for busy families. One solution is to replace a trip traditionally taken in a car with one…
Get Outside During Mental Health Awareness Month
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? Physical health is a significant part of you, but mental health, in my opinion, is more important than anything else. Struggling with depression myself, it…
Celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity
May 22 is recognized as International Day for Biological Diversity. Areas or ecosystems with high biodiversity have a wide variety of species present, across multiple groups, such as trees, wildflowers, birds and mammals. Undisturbed natural…
An “Out of This World” Adventure
Earlier this month, the nature interpreters at Sharon Woods hosted our second annual space program, Out of This World. Over those two nights, I experienced a child try his very first s’more. I heard about…
Navigating The Woods Like a Pro
Signs of spring have been popping up the last few weeks. The sunshine, warming temperatures – even a short morning drizzle all have me daydreaming of the many miles of hiking and backpacking that lie…
Catch a Glimpse of the Spotted Salamander
If you were to make a list of animals rarely seen in our area, you probably would not put a salamander on that list. However, spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are one our region’s most elusive…
Why You Should Take a Hike
Your health, mood and overall well-being will improve if you get outside and do just that: take a hike. Although walking anywhere is good for you, there is evidence that walking in nature takes it…